NIMR launches advanced wheeled military vehicles

NIMR, the manufacturer of combat-proven wheeled military vehicles, is set to unveil the second-generation of its AJBAN 4x4 and HAFEET 6x6 platforms at the upcoming edition of the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX 2021), scheduled to run from 21st to 25th February, 2021, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

With these launches, the company continues to push the boundaries in terms of technical excellence, dynamic performance, and modular structural design.

Featuring advanced blast mitigation and ballistic protection, the new platforms provide high levels of protection in the harshest of environments. Designed and engineered to meet the most demanding duty-cycle requirements, the monocoque architecture offers a higher degree of body rigidity that contributes to greater agility and responsiveness.

The MK2 versions boast enhanced maintainability with a significantly reduced timeframe required to remove a vehicle’s power pack — down from 10 hours to just 20 minutes. To ensure vehicles are equipped to endure any operating scenario, maximum payload capacity has doubled from 1.2 tonnes to 2.5 tonnes.

Recently, NIMR successfully conducted the first landmine blast tests, in line with international standards, in the UAE desert in collaboration with sister company LAHAB. The tests were done to demonstrate the effectiveness of the protection levels offered by the AJBAN MK2 armoured tactical vehicle. Owing to the superior monocoque design, the vehicle remained intact during both of these powerful blasts. The second-generation vehicles’ high levels of protection provide an added advantage rarely available in other leading armoured vehicles in this class.

In addition to the improvements in performance and design, NIMR has incorporated the latest technologies and electronic architecture into its vehicles. Complete platform versatility enables NIMR to modify platforms — even mid-production — to meet field data, combat experience, and evolving operational requirements of customers.

Speaking on the occasion, Abri du Plessis, CEO, NIMR, said, “Building a second-generation product that outshines the first is only possible to achieve when you learn from experience and listen to your customers, whilst keeping an eye on market and technological developments. We look forward to our participation at IDEX 2021 and aim to showcase our cutting-edge product line that is the outcome of years of hard work and vision.”

NIMR is part of the Platforms and Systems cluster within EDGE, an advanced technology group that ranks among the top 25 military suppliers in the world.

Major General Staff Pilot Ishaq Saleh Al Balushi, Head of the Executive Directorate of Industries and Development of Defence Capabilities at the Ministry of Defence and Vice Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee for IDEX and NAVDEX, has said that the participation of 900 companies from 59 countries in the current edition of the joint event, compared to 60 countries in its previous edition, reflects the confidence of the international community in the UAE’s capacity to organise leading events in the defence sector, amidst the extraordinary conditions facing the world due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In an interview with the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Al Balushi said that five new countries will participate in IDEX and NAVDEX 2021 for the first time, while 69 companies will showcase their advanced technologies in the defence and security industries.

He pointed out that the two exhibitions will witness a large international presence, as more than 97 countries confirmed that they will take part in the opening ceremony and with high-level representation from defence ministers, chiefs of staff and decision-makers.

The launch of IDEX and NAVDEX 2021 will highlight the UAE’s preparations and ambitions for the next 50 years, coinciding with the country’s golden jubilee, as well as the vision of the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, of the country’s future in terms of the defence and security industries and space sciences, he added.

WAM